WEBVTT Kind: captions; Language: en

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The American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission was authorized by a joint

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resolution of Congress to prepare an
overall program for commemorating the

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200th anniversary of the United States.

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The Commission was asked to plan, encourage,
develop, and coordinate observances

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and activities commemorating the historic
events that preceded and are associated

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with the American Revolution.

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It will give special emphasis to the ideas
associated with the Revolution and its

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implication for future generations.
The Commission itself is composed of 17

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public members appointed by the President,
eight congressional members, four each

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from the House and Senate, and eleven
members who are secretaries of various

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federal agencies. The Commission's charter
is broad. Its responsibility is great.

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The Bicentennial is to be more than a
ceremonial occasion. The way we as a nation

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choose to celebrate the 200th anniversary
will have an important bearing on what

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we learn from it, and on the inspiration
we draw from it. The Bicentennial

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Commission plans to emphasize the continuing
effort to achieve the fulfillment of

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the ideals and ideas of the Revolution,
as stated in the Declaration of

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Independence and the Constitution,
to inventory the progress of the Some of this

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work will be solemn. Some will be festive
because the 200th birthday of our

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country should be at once a joyous celebration
and a solemn rededication. Members

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of the American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission and representatives of various

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states gathered at the White House at
the invitation of President Nixon. They

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heard him charge them with the
responsibility to not just move forward in

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reaching for material goals,
but to move forward also in the realm of the

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American spirit as we enter century three
of American life. The President said,

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as all of you know, we're gathered in this
historic house for an opportunity that

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comes to a people once in a century,
the celebration of the 200th anniversary of

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the United States,
which will take place in 1976.

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And we are starting to plan now,
we have representatives not only from the

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federal government but from most of the
states of the nation here, to plan that

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celebration. I would like to speak to
that subject very briefly, to speak to it

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in perhaps a way that most of you would
not have thought of, would not have

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thought of because traditionally when we
think of this kind of a celebration, we

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think of the nation's past and we
glory in that past as we should.

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We think of the nation's
present and we consider the

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problems that we must deal with.

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This celebration I would hope would look
to America's future, look to the year

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1976, and set for ourselves goals for that year

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1976, which we can achieve.

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In the space of seven years we can achieve
great goals so that when 1976 comes we

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can look back over those 200 years with
even greater pride than we did a hundred

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years ago. Could I refer to the
early days of this country, to

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the time that this nation was founded,
and to the words that

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those who at the time of the Declaration
of Independence thought of the mission

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of America, what America could mean to
the world. And one of them said that we

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act not just for ourselves but for all mankind.
You know we hear

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that today and we think that was perhaps
a very appropriate statement to make

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because history has justified that kind
of optimism. Now in setting forth goals

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I can tell you that this
administration is thinking in

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terms that are tremendously exciting.

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In the field of hunger it will
be possible by the year 1976

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to abolish hunger in the United
States of America. It will be

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possible in the year 1976 to make enormous
progress in the field of housing, in

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the field of transportation,
in all of these areas that are tremendously

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important to every American family and
that also are admired and respected around

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the world. And so to those who come
from the states and those here from the

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federal government let us set for our
goal in 1976 not just moving forward in

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all these material areas but to move forward
in the realm of the American spirit.

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I know this sounds perhaps too illusory,
too uncertain

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for us possibly to capture but it is there.
We must put our minds to it, we must

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put our hearts to it and that brings me
now to those from the states. America is

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50 states, America is big cities
and small cities and small towns,

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it's all the homes and all the hopes of
200 million people and that's why we want

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this celebration to be national.

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It must go directly to the people and
derive its strength from the people and we

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want people all over this land to
sense the greatness of this moment, to

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participate in it, to help us all to
discover what that great spirit is. And so I

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would charge this commission to move forward,
move forward yes in reaching the

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great material goals of which
we know we are capable.

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That's the easiest part of the job
but recognizing that the best fed,

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best clothed, best housed people in the world,
that the strongest nation in the

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world and the richest nation in the world
still will not deserve to be the hope

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of the world unless it has that
splendid spirit, the lift of a driving

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dream which meant so much to the world in
1776 and for 200 years since that time.

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I would conclude simply by saying
that by that year 1976 the world will

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be at peace.
By that year 1976 America we trust will

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find the understanding that we perhaps
do not have in many quarters today.

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But above everything else I would trust
in that year 1976 that more Americans can

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look back with pride and look to the future
with hope. Hope that the opportunity

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that everybody in this room has had is
something that is a realizable dream

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that can be achieved for anyone who has
the good fortune to be born in this

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country, for anyone who has the good
fortune to come to this country.

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The Bicentennial Commission seized the
200th birthday of the United States as an

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opportunity to assess anew the principles
on which the country was founded, to

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measure life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness today and for tomorrow,

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to expand the frontiers for individual
fulfillment, to balance the rights and

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responsibilities inherent in freedom,
and to celebrate the joys that life and

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liberty provide and with these
to take renewed pride in the

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continuing American Revolution.
The American Revolution Bicentennial

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Commission asks you what you or
your organization would like to

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do to help make the Bicentennial
a great national success.

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Write to the American Revolution
Bicentennial Commission, Box

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1976, Washington DC.